Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Whew! The past few days have gone by too quickly. I've been preparing for tomorrow's departure with feverish efforts. Thankfully, Southwest Airlines does not charge for the first or second checked bag.

I'm finding it tough to pack for a flight with the equipment. Hopefully I won't get to the counter to find out that it's over the weight limit. This is the minutia we face to get things done, no!? I'm going to have to sacrifice on clothes in order to make sure the equipment gets there!

On a more serious note, this trip has helped me recognize many things:

Filming locally has been a luxury, and is incredibly convenient

Traveling to film (while I definitely enjoy it) requires more resources: vacation time from my full time job, funds to travel (or in this case, credit), energy to get to the location and set everything up, etc.

Having a production assistant or director of photography is a luxury I hope to have on the next project

Surry, family, friends, interviewees and the team of volunteers make up one incredible collaborative effort; there's not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for that help

The need to be so familiar with your equipment that it is an extension of yourself is as true for moving pictures as it is for still photography; and mirrors that of a soldier and his equipment

There is little time to write a great deal of deep thoughts at the moment. I still have to get a few more affairs in order before I fly tomorrow. We are in the home stretch now, though, with this interview this week and hopefully another one in the coming month. I see the film playing in my mind regularly, and am desperate to see it come together.

Monday, December 1, 2008

I just got off the phone with Dr. Hickey, and confirmed our interview time for this Friday afternoon. My flight plans are in order. And I'm staying with friends who just recently moved to Chicago. There's much more work to be done in the coming days, but things are shaping up quite nicely right now. I'm excited about the journey.